1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tray set for use in preparing sushi and to a process for preparing sushi using the tray set.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typically, xe2x80x9csushixe2x80x9d referred to herein is a lump of boiled rice seasoned with vinegar and having a sushi topping such as a piece of sliced fish flesh or any other topping placed on top. Generally, hand-made sushi may be prepared by a cook having skills and prolonged experience. On the other hand, a tray for preparing rolled sushi is used as a frame to prepare rolled sushi. The process for preparing rolled sushi by using such a sushi-preparing tray does not require skilled cooks and can provide rolled sushi of a uniform quality and shape and in a short time. The sushi-preparing tray as a frame is provided with a plurality of depressed portions each having a rectangular shape corresponding to a shape of sushi. A predetermined amount of boiled rice is placed in the form of a lump into each depressed portion of the sushi-preparing frame, and then a topping such as, for example, a piece of fish or shellfish, e.g., a slice of tuna, sea bream, bonito or cuttlefish, shrimp, oyster, sea urchin or otherwise, vegetables or sea weed, such as horse radish sprouts or otherwise, etc. is placed on the rice lump placed in each depressed portion. The rice lump with the topping on top thereof is then pressed into a piece of rolled sushi that allows the topping to loosely attach to the rice lump, and the piece of the rolled sushi is then removed from the sushi-preparing frame. The sushi-preparing frame can prepare plural pieces of rolled sushi at one time.
The use of such a sushi-preparing frame allows rolled sushi to be prepared readily and quickly at a sushi corner in a super market or department store or any appropriate place without using the hands of a cook having long-experienced skills. Further, such a sushi-preparing frame can prepare a number of pieces of rolled sushi at one time which otherwise have to be prepared by plural sushi cooks.
Such a conventional frame for use in preparing rolled sushi, however, carries some problems. The toppings such as a slice of fish flesh, sea weed, vegetables or the like may contain a lot of water or juices so that, when they are allowed to stand for a while, liquid is allowed to drop or ooze out from the toppings, resulting in sushi becoming too watery and spoiling a quality of sushi and eventually a value of sushi as goods.
Further, when sushi is prepared by means of a conventional sushi-preparing tray, a piece of pressed sushi is often unlikely to be taken out from the tray or some grains of boiled rice are left attached on the surface of the tray resulting in the breakdown of a shape of sushi and losing the value of v sushi as goods. Such a piece of sushi cannot be solid as goods any more. Further, if time would be spent to take pieces of pressed sushi out from the tray, labor efficiency will be decreased as a matter of course.
As a matter of course, labor is required for preparing sushi by using a sushi-preparing tray. If, however, labor would be used over the entire course or a majority of the course of the preparation of sushi even if using such a sushi-preparing tray, labor efficiency will be decreased greatly.
Therefore, the present invention has an object to overcome the problems inherent in conventional sushi-preparing technology and to provide a sushi-preparing tray suitable for use in preparing sushi.
The present invention has another object to provide a method for preparing sushi using a sushi-preparing tray.
In order to achieve the object, the present invention in an aspect provides a sushi preparing tray set comprising a first tray and a second tray; the first tray comprising a plurality of depressed portions each having a depth that can receive a slice of fish flesh or any other topping and a lump of boiled rice seasoned with vinegar placed thereon and having a small aperture through which drips or water from the sliced fish flesh or other topping can be removed from the depressed portion, and the second tray having a depressed face that receives drips or water discharged through the small aperture of the first tray, when the second tray is laid underneath the first tray, and having a plurality of raised portions formed continually and integrally with the depressed face and so adapted as to protrude inside the first tray through the small aperture thereof in a state in which the second tray is laid under first tray.
In a preferred mode of this aspect of the present invention, the sushi-preparing tray set is configured such that a row of depressed portions are disposed in the transverse direction of the first tray by locating a plurality of depressed portions in a spaced relationship apart at a predetermined interval and a plurality of rows of depressed portions are disposed in a spaced relationship apart in a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction of the first tray; and
such that each depressed portion in each row is formed at a predetermined angle with respect to virtual longitudinal coordinate of the first tray, when looked in section, that is, each depressed portion is formed so as to become gradually narrower from the top toward the bottom.
In another aspect according to the present invention, there is provided a method for preparing sushi by using the sushi-preparing tray set as disclosed in the one aspect, which comprises: the first step of placing a slice of fish flesh or any other topping in each depressed portion of the first tray of the sushi-preparing tray set as described above; the second step of placing a lump of boiled rice seasoned with vinegar onto the slice of fish flesh or any other topping placed in each depressed portion; the third step of pressing the lump of rice from top so as to attach the rice lump to the topping; the fourth step of covering pieces of sushi formed on the sushi-preparing tray set with a packaging material and turning the sushi-preparing tray set upside down to allow the pieces of sushi to be detached from each depressed portion of the first tray; and the fifth step of detaching the sushi-preparing tray set from the pieces of sushi and wrapping the piece of sushi with a packaging material to yield a sushi pack.
In a preferred mode of this aspect of the present invention, the work of locating a lump of boiled rice seasoned with vinegar into each depressed portion of the first tray with the topping such as sliced fish flesh or other topping placed therein is carried out by a robot having required functions.
In another preferred mode of this aspect of the present invention, a small amount of a seasoning, such as spice, e.g., wasabi, i.e., Japanese horseradish, is coated on the bottom surface of the topping placed in a first depressed portion of the first tray as another lump of rice is placed into a second depressed portion of the same tray disposed adjacent the first depressed portion thereof.